Tom Scargill

A couple from Sowerby Bridge who have raised more than £60,000 for charity say the experience of surviving cancer has brought their family even closer together.

Jane Bottomley, 50, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2012 but she and husband Paul, who have been married for 33 years, are determined to maintain their amazing fundraising efforts.

“It was horrendous,” Paul said of the traumatic experience he and Jane have been through. “I lost my mum to cancer when I was 17.

“But it affected me and the children more than Jane. She just got on with it.

“She had a major operation and 18 weeks of chemo.

“It’s been very, very hard, and we’ve learned to deal with a lot of things. We were close anyway as a family but we’re even closer now.

“What Jane has gone through, it’s horrendous, she lost her hair within a couple of months, but to see her come back the other side is great.

“She goes back for a check-up in February and later this year she’s due to have those reduced to one a year, which will be a massive milestone.

“The main thing is she’s here, she’s smiling and she’s on her feet.”

The couple’s many fundraising efforts have included bake offs, fun runs, charity party nights, Christmas events, market stalls, raffles and a coast to coast bike ride, all of which saw Paul nominated for a Pride of Britain award in 2014.

And the couple say they will carry on raising much-needed funds for Macmillan Cancer Support, and in particular, the unit in Halifax which looked after Jane.

“They were so nice, so positive and reassuring,” said Paul, who works for Sainsbury’s.

“They were just what we needed, telling us everything’s going to be fine and to just go with the flow.